Our new Home

Some folks have asked to see pics of the new house in Connecticut. I say "new", it is actually c. 1978 with some nice renovations that make it feel newer than that. It is new to us though, and we are really enjoying our new home. This is the girls play room; the previous owners used it as a family room, but we needed a place to play and this was perfect. It is just off the kitchen, but you have to walk up a small flight of stair to get to it, which means the mess isn't readily visible from the kithen. I quite like the set up.

Another view of the opposite side of the room. Why you ask did I fix this room up first? Because I can't get anything else done anywhere else in the house unless I have somewhere to send my darling daughters to play and watch movies while mommy is trying to make sense of the mayhem.
This is the laundry room...quite spacious I know. The cupboards were formerly in the kitchen and removed to this location when the previous owners renovated in the early nineties. It's a great space to get organized and I love that it has nice big windows overlooking the front yard where the girls play. Our front yard is actually much larger than the back, at least the grassy space is. The girls love to chase out there and become acquainted with nature. This is very new to them, having trees, and rocks, and animals. They love it and I love that we have been able to provide this new adventure for them!

The very small entryway. I didn't show in the picture, but it does have two separate coat closets on either side of the front door. That is a nice feature. I've discovered in my limited experience as a homeowner that you can never have too many closets in your house.

The downstairs half bath. It is actually large for a half bath and I think it is feasible to put a stand up shower in it someday. Again, we have another closet, how handy! I could either take this picture of the toilet or the sink; I thought the sink was a little more photogenic.

Ode to Fathers

Father's Day was an experiment in ultimate domestication...well almost (: My sister-in-law Brandi's blog about her day sounds a lot like my own experience. I had visions of grandeur (remember I aspire to be a master of the kitchen?), and boy did I pay for my epiphany. I started the extravaganza Saturday night after the girls had gone to bed, and I'm not kidding, I didn't stop cooking from that time until 6:00p.m. the next day with short spells of sleep and church in between. It all paid off though, when I victoriously set the table for the days festivities. Our Father's Day started with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. For lunch Jonathan enjoyed his favorite (mom's recipe) pasta salad, and for dinner we had his favorite chicken (Nancee's marinated chicken on the grill, and yes, I actually grilled it myself), with cucumber cooler, FRESH squeeezed lemonade, and the star of the show, a HOMEMADE strawberry rhubarb pie complete with a homemade crust! I had never made a homemade pie and I had no idea what I was in for. It is an ordeal to prepare the dough and make the crust. That part alone took the better part of four or five hours with all the "chilling" time it required and pre-baking. Anyhow, the good news is the production was a huge success! We all had a great day with our Daddy and are so thankful he's the father he is. I don't even mind that they sometimes seem to love him more than me. I count my blessings everyday that Heavenly Father brought me such a loving, fun, involved father who makes everyone laugh and whose talents are always in demand! He inspires me to be better and do better and I am eternally grateful for his patience with me and his unconditional love.
I have the Breville Ikon juicer which I used to juice 2 full bags of lemons to make this lemonade. It took forever to peel the lemons, and by the time I was finished my fingers and cuticles were burning from the acid. I think I'm going to invest in a pair of latex gloves...

Cucumber cooler of course! How is it that this simple dish manages to make it to nearly ever major holiday in the Cope family?

My triumphant victory; I conquered the elusive perfect pie crust. Okay, so I didn't actually weave the lattice top like you are supposed to, but you can't tell that in the picture! The crust was REALLY yummy and the whole pie was delicious! We polished the whole thing off in three days...I'm glad I don't bake like this too often!

What is this strange looking orb, you ask? It is an ice cream maker! I surprised Jonathan with this little gem ( he already guessed the cologne and he SAW the tent) that you can take on campouts or pretty much anywhere and make ice cream with. It has a center cylinder that you fill with ice and rock salt. Then you flip it over and fill the "guts" with your icecream ingredients. You can toss it, kick it, pass it, and do anything else you would otherwise to with a ball. In about 20 minutes or so, you have your delicious homemade ice cream. Unfortunately, I checked the only two local grocery stores in Newtown Saturday night and neither of them had rock salt. So, we had to eat our pie without ice cream. BUMMER! Where do you buy rock salt anyway? Do I have to special order it somewhere? Anyway, we're planning on taking this with us to camp out in Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah pageant. I'll report later on its efficacy and ease of use.

Tenuta di Ricavo

The breakfast spread was a bounty. They never offered cold cereal, pancakes, waffles, bacon, etc. Their spread included fresh fruit juices, hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt with muesli, various cold cuts and cheese slices, a breakfast cake (delicious!) and sometimes an assortment of pastries or cookies. It was pretty different from our traditional American breakfast, but we enjoyed it.
I love this bell collection. I think I'm going to start one too...

The drive to Ricavo...

One of the many enchanting rooms I mentioned...

The front of our building from the street

Day 8: Castellina in Chianti

Did I mention I was in love? Oh, right. The grounds had a garden of eden type appearance, as if everything just sort of spontaneously grew. Kind of unkempt, but lovely all the same. The kind of garden I've always imagined sharing with Elke. Remember our secret garden we were going to share Elke? This place had gardens like that...places that were mysterious & enticing where you could get lost in imagination and long spells of contemplation...or just take a nap under a wildflower canopied sky.

Kind of ethereal isn't it?

This was the restaurant at Ricavo. Also, I believe the main house where the proprieters live. It had enchanting rooms inside...

The facade of our little house

Here we are! I'm so elated I can hardly stand it!

Leaving Florence for Tuscany: Jonny's camera

Sampling some antipasto Italian style; we always found the cheeses, fruits, and salamis delightful! Oh, and in Italy the only salad dressing we ever had was a combination of the house olive oil and house balsamic vinegar. We grew to love eating salad this way! It really allows you
to taste the salad rather than just the dressing.

Jonathan was so patient with me...This was me EVERYWHERE we went...I had to read every plaque and find out all I could to understand what we were seeing. He really was very patient and sweet about it, though it often bored him to tears.

Here's our car for our Tuscan getaway. We were so glad to finally turn this thing in scratch free.

It was very stressful driving in Italy, and I was the passenger!

Our first glimpse of Tuscany...it was love at first sight for me. I really could live this way and

be happy forever
Welcome to Tenuta di Ricavo. Our home away from home in Castellina in Chianti.

Florence: Jonny's camera

The much lauded Michelangelo David sculpture...it was amazing. First of all he is 14 feet tall, so rather imposing, and second the detail is phenomenal. This is the real David; he's in the Accademia museum. The fake is located in the Piazza della Signoria. Michelangelo was 29 when he began this sculpture; WOW! is all I can say. The veins in his forearms and hands, every little detail was masterfully sculpted. Just try to pretend he has a loin cloth on if you need to (:
This is actually one of the wider sections of the stairs leading to the top of the Duomo. The hike was suffocating, the stairs were irregular, and the air was heavy with humidity and the odors of so many people hiking in such a confined atmosphere. It was not pleasant; but the top was a real treat to see the skyline of Florence. Italy is magnificent. What truly amazes me is that it is a mere shell of its former grandeur. If only I could have visited it at the height of the Roman Empire! What a place!

On top of the Duomo overlooking Florence.

Look how close the walls are...I have never seen driving like I have in Italy. Cars squeeze in between places that look fit for a motorcycle only, and they do it at top speed sometimes! We toured on foot in Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence. We're very glad we did. We only picked up a rental car when we had to, to leave Florence for Tuscany.

More Cinque Terre: Jonny's camera

It has been very difficult selecting just a few pics from each destination; I want to take all of you with me and show you everything! We literally have thousands of pictures from this trip, so if you're ever in CT and want a virtual tour of Italy, we can definitely provide one! This pic is of the coastline in between villages on our hike. It was so peaceful. Can there be any doubt there is a God in heaven?

This is another pic of Vernazza as we descended the hike from Monterosso.

Jonathan took this picture from the boat as we were motoring away from Riomaggiore and heading back to Vernazza for the evening. Look at all the people who couldn't get on the boat. Boy were we glad we made it. This was the last ride of the evening. Everyone else either had to hike back or take the train. There aren't any roads that connect the villages, since there really aren't any cars either!

Jonny and I on the boat ride back...

This, ladies and gentleman, is the beach. No, this is not just a snippet of the beach...this is ALL there is of it. A small patch of sand between the boat dock and the rocky cliffs. Better get here early and bring a big towel, because people aren't shy about crowding around and making room for themselves. Also, it should be noted that tops are optional in most European beaches. I spotted a topless girl and strategically positioned my towel so as not to have her in my line of sight. I got all settled in with my magazine and started reading, when what happened next? I looked up and there was another one, literally right in front of me! I could have reached out and tickled her toes she was that close. In their defense though, there were 5, 10, and 12 year old little girls frolicking topless on the beach as well, and nobody seemed to be suggesting they put tops on. If society doesn't ever teach you modesty, why should it ever cross your mind to do differently? From what I could observe, this habit persists until gravity and child-bearing take their toll. Thankfully, the combination of those two effects seemed to have prompted the other women on the beach to cover up. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind frolicking on the beach half nude either. I just wouldn't want an audience!